Matt Fitzpatrick shares how he thinks Tiger Woods would react if he ever asked him for golfing advice now

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Tiger Woods was the ultimate alpha male when at the peak of his powers.

He was famed for overpowering the field with ruthless intensity, leading to the most dominant era of golf we have ever seen in the early 2000s.

In recent years, however, we have seen a different Tiger Woods. The greatest golfer of all time has been more open and approachable, willing to lend advice to competitors and even take notes from them. 

He’s been seen with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, discussing their different approaches to the game. “Why do you need to take a divot?” is a now-famous line from his discussion on ball-striking with Scheffler. 

But while the best players in the game are keen to pick the brain of Woods, that’s not the case for everyone. Matt Fitzpatrick explained why he doesn’t feel like he can approach the 15-time major winner for advice. 

Matt Fitzpatrick explains why he is scared of Tiger Woods

Fitzpatrick is one of the most scientific and data-driven players in the game. He’s tracked every shot he’s taken since he was 15 years old. The Englishman is exactly the type of player you would expect to try to learn from an all-time great such as Woods.

But speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Fitzpatrick admitted he was still scared! He explained why he finds it so challenging to ask fellow competitors for advice. 

Fitzpatrick said, “I think it’s funny. For me personally, when you are actually involved in the game and you see these people and you play alongside them and you get to know them, you understand their character and how they are in these moments.

“I feel like when you are playing in the last group coming down the final stretch, you see their strengths and weaknesses in my opinion. Just like they see mine as well.

“I think everyone would rate themselves as better than everyone else. Golf is a very selfish individual sport and I would say we all put ourselves on a pedestal above everyone else when we feel like we are playing our best, certainly at the top level.

“I also find it a bit odd when you are playing against these guys to be like ‘what do you think about this?’ For them to share that advice, I think is difficult. I probably wouldn’t dream of asking Tiger for any mental advice because I would be scared to ask him for one and I also don’t think he’d tell me.

“I also think with that, are you getting the truth? They tell you something that is a bit nicer or simpler than what they are really doing.”

When asked why he is scared of Woods, Fitzpatrick replied: “It’s Tiger Woods! I could have a conversation with Tiger, but I feel like he is playing against me. Why would he reveal that? People ask for my advice and I’ll be honest, I don’t tell them the truth. Well, I do tell them the truth but a very dumbed-down version.”

It’s a cynical way of viewing the game, but Fitzpatrick hits on an interesting topic. Golf can be a game of community and camaraderie, but at what point does a player look at a competitor and think, “I’m fighting against you, not with you”?

But anyone would do well to take advice from Woods, and we’ve seen countless examples of him helping the world’s best players.

Players who have benefited from Tiger Woods’ advice

Woods appears to be open and forthcoming with every player on the PGA Tour at this stage of his career, and that’s benefited some of the best players on the planet. 

Collin Morikawa took ball-striking tips from Woods, and said something “clicked” afterwards. McIlroy also took swing advice from his childhood hero. You’re never too good to improve. 

He’s even helped with the mental aspect of the game. Scheffler is now one of the most ice-cold, steady players on the planet, helping him win four major championships. His 2025 dominance has led to Scheffler being compared to Woods.

In part, Scheffler can credit Woods for the way he approaches the game mentally. He played a round with Woods at the 2020 Masters, which he said, “Completely changed the way I look at how I play tournaments.”

Scheffler explained that he learned from how Woods reacted to playing badly on a hole. He was unshakable.

Jon Rahm asked Woods how to sustain his performance when being number one in the world, and he explained that you don’t need to be perfect all four days to win major tournaments. Rahm is the LIV Golf individual champion and a two-time major winner, so that clearly resonated with him. 

Evidently, Woods clearly is giving out advice with the intention of helping the best players in the world continue to grow. It almost feels like Fitzpatrick could be left behind unless he begins to lean on the greatest players to play the game.